Kinect 2 PC Release Date Price

It's no surprise that Microsoft's Kinect has charted a rough path through the gaming world in the past few years. Whether it's been lackluster implementation in games or general difficulty with its use, the technology has not had the effect on consoles that Microsoft may have liked. If there is one place that the technology has potential to shine though, it's in the world of homebrew. This is where the upcoming release of Kinect 2 on PC comes into play.

You can blame its less-than-stellar console performance on its advertising or the strain it puts on the hardware, but it's hard to deny that the Kinect technology isn't deserving of some accolades. Phil Spencer has expressed his continued support of the device and its release for PC on July 15 could be the paradigm shift that the hardware needs. This time, it will be taken out of the hands of developers and put in the tinkering hands of the public.

Advertised on Microsoft's online store, the second version of Kinect will retail for $199.00 when it releases in mid-July. Rather than being restricted by the uses put in place by developers, this time there will be a focus on homebrew development with the store page itself linking to the Kinect for Windows Dev Center.

Xbox 720 Projection Kinect Technology

If Kinect 2 is in fact the step forward that Microsoft purports it to be, opening the tech and its inner workings up to the public is arguably the best move they can make. If there is potential to be found in the device, the vast number of modding communities online are sure to find a substantial use for it. Even now, developers have begun to pair it with the Oculus Rift to further immerse players. Once the floodgates truly open, this could be the tip of the iceberg.

In its current state, though, there are still a lot of doubts that the Kinect needs to dispel. It evidently has potential if applied to a wider scope than simply that of the gaming world, so with a little bit of ingenuity, it's very much within reason to believe that PC could become the comfortable home that Microsoft had hoped consoles would be this whole time.

Do you think Kinect 2 will fare better on PC than it did on consoles? What sort of Kinect implementation would you most like to see?

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Kinect 2 is due to release for PC on July 15, 2014 and will retail for $199.00.

Follow Ryan on Twitter @ThatRyanB.

Source: Microsoft Store, Extreme Tech